Mix all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Liberally coat ribs with the wet rub mixture. Let marinate for a minimum of 4 hours (best overnight). Place in smoker (or indirect on grill) at 240 degrees for approximately 2 hours. Wrap in aluminum foil and cook for an additional 1 hour or until ribs are tender.

The time has come to clean your grills and smokers, and cook! Here in Florida it’s been well into the eighties, and we have already been outside cooking for awhile, but for those of you in the great white north, it’s time to go outside!

I don’t know about where your at, but the cheapest thing for us to buy right now down here is chicken leg quarters at $0.79 per pound, so go get some leg quarters and try this recipe;

Directions:
Preparation: Salsa; Mix green onions, cilantro, diced tomatoes, dried cranberries, and tangerines Add 2 Tablespoons Honey, and a dash of Chile Pepper Mix well, and let rest. Using EVOO Rub Leg Quarters well, and season with Tangerine Pepper Seasoning. Let marinate for at least 1 hour, and no longer than 4 hours. Lightly re-season leg quarters before placing them on the grill. Cook indirect, on a 350 to 400 degree grill. Should take 50 mins to 1 hour at 400 degrees. Check temp using instant read thermometer, and insert into the joint connecting the leg and thigh. This should read a minimum of 175 degrees. Remove chicken from grill and let rest for approximately 5 minutes, sprinkle zest over chicken and serve, with salsa on the side.

As smokers and grills literally get the cobwebs cleaned out, and with others, it seems to becoming a weekend ritual, except there is an extra day. There are a few things we need to keep in mind, first what this holiday is all about.

Let’s take some time think about those who gave their life so we can enjoy a weekend like this.

Next, let’s talk about grill/smoker safety, there will be literally thousands of out of control, on fire grills/smokers today, mainly because they are not kept clean.

A great idea is to line the bottom of the smoker with aluminum foil, and after each cook, just remove and throw away. Those using a gas grill, and using ceramic briquets, if you use that grill frequently it is a great idea to change those out every couple of months, for those not so frequently once or twice a year.

Thanksgiving is this week, and many of us are still trying to nail down the menu for the big day. For most of us, the main attraction is Turkey, but where the decision comes in is how to cook that Turkey. Turkey cooked on a smoker with a little apple wood is my favorite, and will definitely be our preferred method for this year, especially since we have been on a diet for the last 5 months. But, we are planning to do a second Turkey also, and this one will be fried.

On an earlier article I did a write up on a Turkey fryer from Butterball, and that is what we will use, that piece of equipment is a no-brainer as far as I am concerned. But for this roughing it with the big pot over a gas flame, be very careful, here are a few things to keep your eye on;

1. The temperature, using a long deep fryer thermometer, you need to monitor the temp, and 350 would be the desired temp for the Turkey fryer.

2. Try to use 100% Peanut Oil, it has a high burn point, and imparts a lighter flavor than many other vegetable oils, and it’s not bad for you.

3. When you lowering the Turkey into the fryer, a good thing to do is turn the gas flame way down, or off until the Turkey is submerged, then turn the flame back up.

4. Make sure not to over fill the fryer with oil.

5. Last but not least, you will want to let the Turkey rest for about 10- 15 minutes when you take it out of the fryer before you carve it.

Here is a basic recipe below, including the injection.

Deep Fried Turkey

1 – 10 to 12 pound turkey

olive oil

Peanut Oil (for Fryer)

Injection

(mix with wire whisk until ingredients are dissolved)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon ground bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Seasoning

1 – tbls – salt

1 – tbls – pepper

(We use HomeBBQ.com Black Jack Rub)

Clean turkey and remove all giblets from cavity.

Inject Turkey

Oil outside of turkey with olive oil

Season outside, inside cavity of turkey with desired seasoning.

Heat oil to desired temp (350 degrees)

Cook uncovered for (3 to 4 minutes per pound) until the breast reaches 160 –165

We know you will be cooking out today, and wanted to throw in a very nice, easy, potato recipe. We have made several variations of this in our cooking class, and today we will give you the works.

There are 2 very important ingredients, first the potatoes. It’s very important to choose a creamer variety, either a gold (Yukon Gold), or Red (Creamer Red) variety of potatoes. Why? the creamer potato is harvested young, and yields a very tender, moisture rich, almost buttery flavor and texture. The second very important ingredient is the onions. The best onion for this recipe is the sweet onion, preferably the Vidalia. Why? The Vidalia is grown in a specific region in Georgia, and in my opinion, even though there are look alikes, the Vidalia is king.

Combine sliced potatoes, chopped onions, and chopped bell peppers in aluminum foil.
Break bacon into pieces and combine with potatoes.
Drizzle olive oil over potatoes liberally
Place slices of butter evenly across top of mixture
Season liberally with HomeBBQ.com Garlic Lovers Seasoning cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes (or until potatoes are soft).
Immediately after Removing from grill, top with shredded cheese, and serve.
Enjoy!

To many in Southeast US, the very meaning of barbecue, is pork. Pork is obviously a very generic term, and really could mean anything cooked from a hog. However for most of us, in barbecue, cooking pork means the shoulder, and for most, the desired cut from the shoulder is the Boston Butt, and this is what we will cover in this article.

The selection process I use for this piece of meat, includes finding one has the fat well marbled or dispersed throughout the cut.

Then, I start looking at weight, the higher the weight, the longer the cook, so I like them right in the middle (8-9lbs). You can find very small ones, which in my opinion are normally difficult to get tender (4-6lb), and the very large ones (11-13lb) are difficult to cook evenly.

As many of you know, almost every Wednesday night, we have been doing backyard BBQ and Grilling classes at All Grills and More in Oviedo, FL. In the classes Clara and I focus on doing recipes that can be easily reproduced for friends and family in their own backyard.

This has been a big hit, and I want to thank all who have participated, we continue to make new friends through this, and personally I love to hear how they made of the recipes from the class at a party they were giving and how much of a hit it was. It definately makes it all worthwhile.

A recipe that has been around for awhile in a few different variations, and has been a big hit in my rib class, is this Apple Baked Beans recipe. Not only does it have a very unique flavor, it is very much a conversation piece while we are making them. And now, I am going to share my variation of this recipe with you.

We start with pre-made baked beans, and my favorite for this is Busch’s Original Baked Beans. Here is the recipe;

The easy way to do this, is to combine all ingredients and cook on the grill or smoker 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
The second method would be to saute the onions and green peppers, then add them and cook until hot.

Oviedo, FL – 5 Time FBA Team of the Year Champion, and the 2008 FBA Triple Crown Champion, Kevin Bevington, of HomeBBQ.com begins his first in a series of Backyard Barbecue and Grilling classes at All About Grills in Oviedo, FL, tonight at 6:30pm.

The first class will be “Basics on the Grill”, in this class he will cover easy to prepare dishes on the grill, including a side dishes and desert.

Every wednesday will be a class which includes recipes from the DVD’s from HomeBBQ.com, “Grilling with HomeBBQ.com” and “Backyard Barbecue with HomeBBQ.com”. Class details are below;

January 14th - 6:30 pmBasics on the grill

January 21st-6:30 pm Classic Steak House

January 28th- 6:30 pm Beef on the Grill

February 4th-6:30 pm Seafood on the Grill

February 18th-6:30 pm All About Ribs

February 25th-6:30 pm Barbeque Beef

March 4th-6:30 pm – Seafood

March 11th-6:30 pm – All About Pork

March 18th-6:30 pm – All About Chicken

Early Bird Registration – $45 per person, or $75 per couple

For more Information, Contact All About Grills at the contact info below;